Game library

Physical software for the Vita is distributed on a proprietary flash memory card called "PlayStation Vita game card".[87][88] All Vita games are also made available to be downloaded digitally on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation Store,[110] although not all games are released physically.[111] Since its launch, digital-only releases have slowly become more prominent, partially in an effort to reduce production costs for release on the platforms comparatively smaller user-base, and partially due to the influx smaller-scale indie mobile phone games that have always been digital-only releases.[111] Like the PS3 and PS4, the Vita contains Trophy support for games.[112]

The system was designed so that it would be easy for developers to extract PS3 game assets and in turn use them to make Vita versions of games. Prior to the Vita's release, several third-party studios showcased tech demos of the device by exporting existing assets from their PlayStation 3 counterpart and then rendering them on the device, high budget examples including Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Yakuza 4, and Lost Planet.[113] While none of these particular high budget tech demos materialized into actual game releases, and few big-budget Western games would be made for both outside of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale,[114] many Japanese development teams would go on to develop mid-level games that would release for both platforms, including Falcom's Trails of Cold Steel duology, Compile Hearts' original Hyperdimension Neptunia trilogy, and many entries from Tecmo Koei's Atelier and Dynasty Warriors series. The trend continued on the PS4 as well, with Vita/PS4 releases becoming common due to the spread of their userbases – Vita versions for Japan, where the Vita was larger in its initial years, and PS4 versions of games for North America and Europe, where the PS4 userbase was substantially larger. Few PlayStation 2 titles were ported to the Vita due to the PS2's complicated infrastructure – games that did, such as Final Fantasy X/X2 Remaster and Persona 4 Golden required extensive reworking,[115] or were based on their PS3 counterparts, such as Jak and Daxter Collection, Ratchet and Clank Collection, and Sly Cooper Collection. Towards the end of its lifespan, Vita versions of games began to be cancelled, in favor of PS4 or Nintendo Switch releases.[116]

Backward compatibility

The device is backward compatible with most PSP games; however, its lack of a UMD disc drive limits this capability to those titles which have been digitally released on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation Store, but not physical PSP games or films.[117] The Vita is also backward compatible with the majority of the PS one Classics – the group of PlayStation 1 games Sony has made available digitally for download, and PlayStation Minis – small-budget downloadable titles originally created for the PSP and PS3.[118] Games from Sony's PlayStation Mobile initiative had initially been compatible, but were removed when the service was shutdown in September 2015.[119] In Japan, select downloadable PC Engine and PocketStation titles became backward compatible as well.[120]

Applications

A number of applications are available to run on the Vita, some initially pre-loaded on the device, while others are available via Sony's PlayStation Store. Pre-loaded apps include an internet browser,[121] a "Content Manager" app for monitoring data saved to the device,[121] an email app, a music playing app,[122] a photo app,[122] and a video playing app.[122] The system's web browser supports HTML5, cookies, and JavaScript, but not Adobe Flash.[123] Also included was "Near", a social media/GPS like app that allowed the user to see other Vita players in the area, and what games or applications they had been using, with the opportunity for some limited interactivity and communication,[122] although most of its functionality was disabled in 2015.[124]

A number of other third party apps commonly found on mobile devices have also been made available on the Vita: Crunchyroll,[125][126] Facebook (removed in 2015),[127][128] Flickr (broken),[125][129] Google Maps (removed in 2015),[130] Hulu,[126] LiveTweet (Sony's third-party client for Twitter),[125] MLB.tv (broken),[125] Netflix,[131] Redbox Instant (discontinued),[126] Skype (removed in 2016),[132] TuneIn (broken),[125] Twitch[125], WeatherNation[125] and YouTube (removed in 2015).[124] Facebook, Flickr, Google Maps and YouTube no longer function as Vita apps, but continue to be available by using the Vita's web browser.[127]

System software

Unlike the PSP and PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita does not use the XrossMediaBar interface. Instead it uses a touchscreen-based UI dubbed LiveArea, which includes various social networking features via the PlayStation Network.[87] Each game or application is represented by its own circle icon, and selecting it leads the user to a panel with multiple options present, including running software itself, going to its respective website through the internet, seeing if there are downloadable updates available for the software, and seeing a newsfeed-like list of activities related to it, such as installing it or obtaining trophies, for both the user and others the user has interacted with recently.[133]